The spacious, warm bath was veiled in drifting white curtains—this was the Crown Prince's private pool.
It was set indoors, huge and beautiful—a hundred meters across, more like a modern swimming pool than a traditional bath.
Beams crisscrossed above, draped with pale blue-white gauze that fluttered with the breeze from a slightly open lakeside window. Mist from the natural hot spring mingled with the floating curtains, turning the whole room into a dreamy fairyland.
Right now, Caleb Miles was pacing nervously in his white sleep shirt, back and forth beside the warm pool. Not far away, a stone table and two stools were set up, loaded with assorted snacks, fruit, two cups, and a pot of 'special' tea!
Caleb stared at the so-called 'lock-on' tea, swallowing nervously. He was scared, but honestly? Even more excited. Charlie Qiao said, as long as Jay and he both drank this tea, they'd be bound together for life.
Just imagining never being apart made Caleb break into a huge, goofy grin. Awesome—Jay would finally be his and his alone!
On the brazier, Charlie Qiao's 'special gift' incense was burning. It hadn't been long, but Caleb already felt overheated. He kept glancing outside—why wasn't Jay here yet? Surely he hadn't figured out the 'rice-cooked-to-mature' trick and was staying away on purpose, right?!
But what if Jay found out he'd spiked the tea? Would he get mad and never talk to Caleb again?
But, but—he really couldn't bear the thought of Jay leaving!
He didn't even know why—he just wanted to look at him, stick close to him, even if Jay yelled at him. It still made him happy. But honestly? He was scared Jay would get angry.
He could be really scary when he was mad. Caleb never won an argument with him—seeing Jay angry made him nervous, but...
Glancing at the tea, Caleb swallowed hard. "Whatever—I'll risk it! Worst case, I'll just stop making him angry from now on." With that, he started breathing, breathing again, and again. Charlie Qiao said to act casual so Jay wouldn't notice anything weird. Okay, super chill—totally relaxed, right?!
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Ivy Shen glanced at Eli Crane, who was breathing evenly beside her. She smiled a little. Earlier, she'd told him the whole story about her and Caleb Miles. He didn't get jealous at all—on the contrary, he told her, "Trust me, Caleb definitely likes you. It's a guy thing."
She honestly had no idea how to respond. Was there love between her and Caleb? She really didn't know. She didn't dislike him, but couldn't describe her feelings either. Seeing her hesitance, Eli hugged her and said, "You're too deep in it to see clearly. I'm just the bystander."
After losing your memory, it's impossible for your heart to forget everything. The deepest memories are what your soul longs for most, and the truest feelings. From the first moment Caleb saw her, he felt something different, even told her she seemed both familiar and strange. Eli understood that feeling—it was just like when Ivy ignored him before: unfamiliarity that made him uneasy, but also a faint sense of something familiar.
He wanted her to recover, wanted love, wanted to regain that sense of belonging.
So yeah, Eli believed this was love. He also told her, when she fell and lost her memories, the first thing she murmured after he saved her was that she hoped all of them would survive and live well.
Hearing Eli's explanation, Ivy was speechless. She remembered that night, when Caleb unconsciously whispered, "Xin'er"—her heart grew even more restless. Caleb... How was she supposed to face him? Use him? Be genuine? Or...
Thinking about it, she couldn't sleep at all. She threw on her clothes and slipped out the door. Tonight, for some reason, she felt vaguely uneasy, but couldn't say why. Not wanting to alert the guards, she opened a side window and jumped out—she wanted to scout the palace for anything she might need.
Ivy had barely left when the man on the bed, eyes closed a moment ago, silently opened them. "Xin'er..." he murmured, voice thick with longing and a hint of pain.
She'd told him long ago that she had a bunch of husbands. Ever since they climbed up from the valley, he'd known she wasn't just his. But now that it was real—why did his heart still hurt so much?!
He got up, slowly pulled on his outer robe, and opened his bundle to take out the soft sword he'd hidden in the middle. He strapped it on. "Xin'er, I promised not to stand up, not to push myself. I know you're strong, but... I just can't relax while you're wandering this creepy palace alone!" With that, Eli Crane leapt out the window to track her down.
Love means giving everything—no matter how strong the other person is, you still can't help worrying about them.
********* Scene break *********
"Why are you guys here?" Thanks to the cover of darkness, the three men slipped into a shadowy corner, all crouched awkwardly behind a low screen. It was seriously cramped.
"Oh please, like you're the only one allowed in this palace?" Butterfly Rogue shot back, refusing to be outdone.
"You two are making trouble!" Wind glared at them, clearly annoyed.
Ethan Chu frowned. "Making trouble? Do you even know how strict the palace security is? We're worried about your safety."
"Exactly! If you weren't running yourself ragged for Xin'er as her attendant, do you think we'd bother with you?" Butterfly Rogue played his good-guy card perfectly.
"Did I ask for your help?" Wind scoffed, shooting them a cold laugh. "With skills like yours?" He swept his eyes over them, full of disdain.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~ Click next page for more!)
That look totally stung Butterfly Rogue. "Hmph, hilarious!"
"What's so funny?" Wind was annoyed by his two tagalongs, but seeing Butterfly Rogue's smirk made him even more irked.
"I'm laughing at how full of yourself you are. We're not skilled? If we're so useless, why didn't you spot us ages ago? Why were we able to tail you for so long without you noticing? Why did you only find out once we were all under the carriage, huh?" He shot Wind a challenging look.
"Fifth, nice!" Ethan Chu gave a thumbs-up and smiled.
"Hehe, you're too kind!" Butterfly Rogue blushed a little—being praised by the Emperor of Chu was a big deal.
"You..." For once, Wind was totally stumped by Butterfly Rogue's logic—he had no comeback!
"Alright, you two, quit arguing. Wind, I know following you wasn't cool, but you know why we're here—we're worried about Xin'er. We don't know your mission, maybe it's for her. You know she hasn't accepted us yet, but we've already decided: only she will do. Anything for Xin'er, we're in. Besides, you can see how crazy-tight security is here—having two extra hands is way better than going solo!" Ethan Chu said sincerely.
Wind went quiet. Ethan had a point—this place might not have many people, but the castle was the most heavily guarded he'd ever seen. Most of the kingdom's manpower was clearly here as palace guards, which explained why the outside was so empty. Facing such a bizarre fortress, he had to stay sharp. He'd already felt uneasy about going in alone—if he got caught, the consequences would be disastrous. Now that the other two had joined him, it was definitely better than fighting solo.
"Hey, sorry!" Butterfly Rogue saw Wind go quiet and quickly apologized. "Sorry, we didn't mean to tail you. Please forgive us—it's just that we're really worried about her!"
Wind sighed. Oh well—these two could be a pain, but their feelings for the Pavilion Master were genuine. If that's the case, might as well let them come along. Besides, he wasn't even sure that 'Young Master Zhen' was definitely the Pavilion Master!
"Fine, we'll go together. But remember—this place is more heavily guarded than anywhere else. If..." Wind trailed off, but of course, the others knew exactly what he meant.
"Don't worry!" Butterfly Rogue and Ethan Chu chimed in together.
"Alright, let's scout this mysterious palace together." Wind took the lead, with the other two right behind him.
******** Scene break ********
PS: Sorry everyone, updates have been slow lately. Not feeling great, need some time to recover—thanks for understanding!